Enthralled: A Box Set

by Pamela Ann

  “Yes,” I whispered back to him.

  “Why are you in love with him? What makes him special?” His gaze still probed, seeking answers.

  Fuck, what do I say to that?

  I’ve asked myself that before and couldn’t seem to find one good reason. Sure, Carter was dynamite in bed, but apart from that, what? He was sweet—from time to time—which wasn’t a consistent trait. So, what then? His rock-hard body and asshole attitude? We didn’t really talk much about anything in depth. For reasons I couldn’t fathom, though, I did love him.

  When he got hurt once during a soccer game against UCLA, he blacked-out for a good minute and I thought of never being with him again. I knew then that I loved him, much to my dismay.

  There was a lot of truth about what people said about falling in love with the wrong person. Your brain might have told you it was a horrible idea, but your heart ruled everything. It just did, plain and simple.

  “I can’t explain how or why I do, I just do. I remember that it just dawned on me one night. It’s been hell ever since.”

  “You don’t seem very happy about it,” this wise man observed.

  “No, I’m not. He’s not an easy man.”

  Hell no, Carter Mason was not easy! He was a walking contradiction, for reasons about which I had no clue.

  “I understand.” He sighed and closed his eyes.

  “Bass, let’s go for a swim? I feel restless.”

  “Seriously? It’s like three in the morning, Em.” I got up and left the movie theatre.

  “Last one there has a sore, hairy butt crack!” I yelled after him.

  E

  “Whoa, there!” Bass uttered as he saw me wiggle out of his boxers and hastily place them on the pool lounge.

  The moon was high and the City of Angels glittered before me; thriving, alive and so full of life! It really was beautiful here, especially at night. It looked downright riveting. The huge swimming pool looked too enticing to resist. The color matched Bass’s azure eyes.

  What was he waiting for anyway? The known bad boy was hesitant.

  “What’s wrong, Bass? Admitting that you have a sore, hairy butt crack?” I teased, but he was too stunned to reply. His blue gaze stuck to my skimpy thong-clad bottom. A jolt of excitement coursed through me as Bass took me in with his eyes. It was intoxicating and it made me feel beautiful. “Hello, earth to Bass Cole?” I waved both hands at him.

  Bass cleared his throat. “I don’t think this is a good idea, Emma.”

  Yeah, right. I’m only young once and I want to live and let live. Who cared if I had my heart broken? Who cared if Carter didn’t love me? At least I was alive—alive and breathing and enjoying Bass Cole’s arousing countenance. I am grateful for life’s good blessings, I thought mischievously.

  “Why not? It’s not like this is the first time you’ve swam naked. In fact, it was your suggestion to skinny dip, if I recall correctly.” I pouted at him.

  Seriously, Bass looked like the epitome of a sex god. The way he would brood when he was in deep thought or the way he held his hands on his hips when he didn’t agree on something. Every single move he made just oozed of sex. Bass was potent with masculinity and I found it erotic and stimulating. According to most females, they felt this way about him, too. Furthermore, all that fame and power didn’t seem to get into his head. He was quite grounded and not stuck up, surprisingly enough.

  I didn’t know what precisely triggered my audacious attitude, but I felt like I had some kind of clarity. Maybe it was the tiny stint of acting in Martin Lombardo’s home or the talk I had with Bass or quite possibly the wine talking, but it didn’t matter because I felt fan-fucking-tastic!

  Untitled

  “Beauty is only skin deep. If you go after someone just because she’s beautiful but don’t have anything to talk about, it’s going to get boring fast. You want to look beyond the surface and see if you can have fun or if you have anything in common with this person.”

  ~Amanda Peet

  Chapter One Hundred Two

  “Emma, I’m telling you again, this is not the wisest of ideas,” Bass croaked out.

  I merely shrugged as I pulled the hem of my shirt, lifting it upwards and off.

  I turned around to face Bass. “Ready to swim?”

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you, Emma Anderson,” Bass taunted me as he placed a bottle of vodka and his phone at the edge of the pool. I just gave him a seductive smile.

  Without breaking eye contact, he took off his clothes—all of them. What was a skinny dip if one didn’t take it all off?

  I gasped as Bass pulled down his boxers and stepped out of them.

  “Is it up to your approval, my darling?” he amorously asked me. Cocky.

  I couldn’t help but lick my lips and I tried to drag my eyes away from his...

  He actually laughed at my embarrassment before diving into the pool. I watched him swim a few laps before he came up for air. I made sure to stay in the deep end, choosing distance. We were on opposite ends of the pool.

  “Scared of me already?” he called out as his hands leisurely skimmed through the warm water.

  “Hell no; should I be?” I asked. He was daring me to come closer, so I did.

  I watch his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he guzzled the bottle of Vodka. “You’re not going to share that? What a greedy man you are, Bass,” I teased and then settled myself right next to him, our arms touching.

  “I’ll share whatever you want me to share, little lady,” he retorted back as he handed me the bottle of vodka, eyes zeroed in on my lips as I placed the bottle opening to them, threw my head back and took a quick gulp.

  I couldn’t help but shiver. “Argh!” I muttered as I placed the bottle back on the white cobbled floor, next to his phone. “Bass, are you nervous?” I leaned close to him. Wanting him to kiss me, touch me, something!

  Without answering me, he went under water and swam away from me. When he came up for air, he swam towards the middle side of the pool and stared out at the city.

  I couldn’t help following him. He let out a soft moan when I pressed a kiss to his shoulder. He grabbed my waist and drew me into him, pressing my back against the pool wall.

  Face to face, we stared at each other, both hearts on a wild stampede. With the searing power of his eyes, he caressed me—slowly, decisively and acutely.

  Then, he said the sweetest thing.

  “Exquisite, so lush and pure

  Will you taste as sweet as I have dreamt you to be?

  I’m staggered by your magnetism, your beauty and your truth—

  Will I captivate you as you have done me?

  Sweet Emma, your name alone, spoken from my lips gives me enough sweetness

  Savored and cherished as one should be.”

  He buried his head in my neck and softly bit it. I moaned and threw my head back, exposing my neck to give him full access to it.

  “Bass,” I gasped out his name.

  From the base of my throat, his hot tongue snaked out and licked my wet skin all the way to my chin. His hand found my nipple and he placed it between his thumb and finger, twisting it back and forth as he sucked on my neck and bit into it as my legs locked on his hips.

  “I want… Bass… your lips… kiss me,” I pleaded, breathless. MY hips grinded against him and my scantily covered, hot mound rubbed against his naked cock. He panted against my neck and I became determined with my grinding.

  I felt the hazy lust-filled moment that blanketed us; leave him when we heard his phone ring. Bass cursed. Kissing my forehead, he unlatched my legs from his waist and swam towards his ringing phone. I heard him say, “This better be important, Papa.”

  Bass pulled himself out of the pool and walked out of earshot. I drug myself out of the pool and laid in one of the lounge chairs, awaiting his return.

  “Emma?” I heard Bass call out.

  “Yes?”

  Strolling towards me, Bass sat on the edge of the lounger. “T
hat was Martin. He’s wondering if you’re interested in replacing Samantha in the film.”

  I sat up. “Shut up!”

  Bass shrugged and smiled. “If you say so.”

  My mouth hung open. “Martin wants me? But I fucking suck compared to other actresses. I’m an amateur, what could I possibly offer?” “Chemistry, he said we crackled with it.” He reached out and stroked my calf. “Martin is known for picking out fresh faces and he has an eye for making a hit. He thinks you and I will be a hit. That alone proves how much he wants you to be onboard. Will you do it, Em? Filming doesn’t start until summer time anyway.”

  “Bass, are you crazy? Of course, I want to do it! It’s a fucking Martin Lombardo film. I am not dense; I recognize that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, but what I’m worried about is… I don’t want to disappoint any of you guys. This is major for me. I’m psyched and freaked out at the same time.”

  “Baby, look at me,” he requested. “You’re great. I’m not saying this just because I feel like I should, but you were fantastic. Didn’t we just speak about you following your dreams? Well, this is it. It’s the universe calling out to you and handing you this amazing opportunity. What other fantastic way to debut your acting skills other than being the lead actress in a Martin Lombardo film?”

  “I don’t know.” I shook my head and let out a long breath. “Can you guys give me until the weekend to think it over?”

  He shook his head. “Martin needs your answer by nine this morning.”

  Untitled

  “Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint you can on it.”

  ~Danny Kaye

  Chapter One Hundred Three

  Nine in the morning?! That’s like five hours from now, more or less!

  Bass was right on one thing though, what better way to debut myself than to do a Lombardo film?

  However, amazing as the idea was, I couldn’t help feeling frightened. What if my acting was subpar? What if they hated it? Would I be able to handle acerbic reviews and comments angled towards me by critics?

  My heart was galloping. It was already heightened from making out with Bass, but then it had skyrocketed to an unparalleled level. I was agitated and in dire need to speak to someone other than Bass. First, I needed to be alone to soothe my nerves then I would call Lindsey.

  Yes, I would call my friend even at this ungodly hour.

  I was in dire need of a 911 emergency therapy discussion.

  “Do you mind if I go shower?” I asked Bass. He looked a bit confused about my question. I was sure he wasn’t expecting me to say something so random, but I felt like I needed a hot shower. Right now. PRONTO.

  “Go ahead and feel free to use my bathroom upstairs. You know where everything is. There is an extra toothbrush in the second drawer on the left and there are soaps and shampoos in the shower, use whatever you need.”

  I hesitated a second before I leaned over and gave Bass a peck on the cheek and hastily left the pool area. I knew it was stupid to hesitate after what we were doing a few minutes ago, before we got interrupted by Martin, but I was beyond confused.

  Why wouldn’t Bass kiss me? It seemed like the more I pushed him to do it, the more he hesitated. Well, he could keep his kisses ‘cause his licking and biting sure as hell got me hot and bothered in no time. I knew girls shouldn’t compare, but I couldn’t help doing it. Carter was awesome, but I felt like with Bass, it would be explosive. I had concluded this after that teeny, tiny stint in the pool? Hell yes!

  I felt it—in my bones and in my core. God only knew what would’ve happened if we hadn’t gotten interrupted. I wanted to see Bass lose control. Crazy, wasn’t it? I wanted the real him unleashed and unbridled. I wanted the real man behind the controlled restraints. I had a quick glimpse of it and I wanted to see more. I thought.

  I made a quick stop at the movie theatre to fetch my belongings. It was weird that I felt right at home here. I barely knew him and yet here I was—not feeling awkward at all.

  Walking upstairs in my barely clad state, my mind boggled as I went to his room on auto-pilot. Per his instructions, I found a toothbrush and immediately took care of brushing my pearly whites while I went to turn on his shower, making the water as hot as I could stand it. When I jumped in, my eyes surveyed the selection of hair care products and shower gels I had to choose from.

  Amused, I scoured for his scent amongst the scented selections. After a few tries, I figured he was a Lime Basil & Mandarin kind of guy. You’d think lime and basil would be an icky combination, but nope! It was alluringly sexy and zesty at the same time. The smell was so him and I contemplated inhaling the damn scented shower gel until I passed out. I’d much rather smell it on him, of course, but that was a close second.

  After my quick shower, I wrapped my head with a towel and covered my body with another one.

  The screen on my phone read 4:24 am. I bit my lip nervously before I hit dial. I was about to give up after a few rings, but thank heavens, the woman managed to pick up before I ended the call. “Do you need someone to bail you out? Which station?” Lindsey grumbled as she made a loud, noisy yawn.

  “This is not Amber calling, babe. I know you’re probably half asleep, but I need to talk to you. It’s a 911.” After a full minute, I thought she passed out on me.

  “Sorry, had to pinch myself to wake up. What’s up?” Lindsey asked with another yawn. Yeah, buddy, thanks for making me feel guilty for waking you up!

  “Okay, well, we both know I went to Martin Lombardo’s place tonight, right?”

  “Who would forget about tonight after Carter’s impersonation of a growling bear?” Lindsey asked amusingly.

  Right, Carter’s growling. What the hell?

  Mentally shaking my head, I continued my story, “Well, Martin insisted for Bass and me to read lines tonight and half an hour ago, he called out of the blue and offered me the lead in a movie that he’s going to be filming this summer with Bass. Martin needs my answer by nine in the morning, that’s in a few hours. I’m calling because I don’t know what to do, Lindsey! I mean, I want to do it, but I don’t want to embarrass myself either. You know?”

  “Hold up; Martin Lombardo offered you to star in his movie with Bass and you’re fucking thinking this over?” Lindsey asked hysterically. She started blabbering, “Okay, I get why you’re hesitating, going from your high school drama classes to the big screen. I get that this is a big, BIG deal for you, but Emma, Martin Lombardo himself offered you the role! He must believe you’re good or good enough for him to even consider you. So do me a favor and stop it with this boo-hoo party you’re giving yourself because you’re going to be a movie star, BABY! Get that? A. MOVIE. STAR. Ahhhh! I knew you were going places with that angelic beauty of yours, Em, but an actress? That’s incredible!”

  “It’s great and all, but what if I embarrass myself or my family? Do you know how much this is scaring me? I would be devastated if I became an embarrassment to everyone I know. What if I let Lombardo or Bass down?" I voiced out my fears. “I don’t want to give it my all and not be good enough. I don’t think I have it in me to be butchered by the rest of the country or better yet, the rest of the world! God, the thought alone sends me into overdrive and I might just end up in a mental hospital.”

  “That overactive imagination of yours will really send you into a psych ward if you keep going on like this! I don’t know why your confidence lacks sometimes because you fucking ROCK, girlfriend! Besides, if you ditch this, do you want to go on forever wondering ‘what if?’ Think about that because I sure as hell don’t want a big fucking ‘what if’ in my life.” Lindsey, the voice of reason.

  “Geez, a big ‘what if,’ huh? Well, maybe you should check out Brody Thompson then, girlfriend, because from where I’m standing, the man is a big hot ‘what if’ to me.”

  Lindsey huffed on the other end. “Whatever. I have to go back to sleep ’cause I have a stupid quiz first thing this morning. Just remember that this is
a once in a lifetime opportunity, Emma. This is like one of those opportunities that are life changing and can undoubtedly alter your universe. This is it, Emma Anderson. It’s your time to shine. I just want to tell you—either way—that I’m proud of you. Okay fuck it! I will be prouder if you do take the damn role, woman! Imagine all those award shows and the free goodies that come along with it. Accept the role before I smack some sense into you, comprende?”

  As Winston Churchill said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Heck yes, failure is not fatal. Yet, I don’t want a big ‘what if’ haunting me.

  “All right, Lindsey Mason, you’ve finally gotten through to me. Now, go sleep and ace that quiz of yours. I will call you tomorrow after the meeting, okay?”

  “Damn straight! Now you owe me some tacos and margaritas. Over and out.”

  I so do, I thought with a smile. After a quick goodbye, we ended the call.

  Feeling convinced and assured, I strolled towards the bedroom to get a new shirt and boxers. I chose all white this time. I mean, there was only black and white to choose from. Why didn’t he wear any other color? I bet he would look gorgeous in blue, especially with those eyes of his.

  I found Bass in the theatre on the makeshift bed he made earlier, lounging in a pair of white drawstring pants and nothing else. His blond hair was wet and when I got closer, I breathed in the scent of his intoxicating shower gel. Dammit, it smelled much more delicious on him.

  Without thinking, I traced the ridges of his tanned, steel abs with my forefinger, feeling the smoothness of his skin that was hot on my skin. Boy, he felt wonderful in all his steely, hard muscled goodness.

  Bass groaned as my finger went a little lower, an inch above the top of his pants. He immediately grabbed my hand and kissed each of my fingers as he laughed. Tingles reverberated all through me.

  “As great as that feels, I can’t let you go on. Tell me though, have you thought about it?” Bass inquired. He sure was eager to know.